Local news delivered daily to your email inbox. Subscribe for FREE to the rdnewsNOW newsletter.

Wild Rose School Division advocates for public education

Mar 21, 2019 | 3:36 PM

Wild Rose School Division is expressing their frustration in the Alberta government for not investing enough into education.

Officials from the division have released a statement stating that the Alberta government needs to avoid making cuts in education, noting there is no better way to guarantee a strong future than by ensuring that all Albertans receive an adequate amount of education.

The division says that even in times of restraint, education is not the place to cut, it’s the place to invest.

“The current funding model that is based heavily on student enrollment does not make sense in rural school divisions that are experiencing declining enrollments. It should be replaced with a needs-based funding model that provides great equity in education across the province,” explains Russ Hickman, Wild Rose School Division Board Chair.

The division says the current funding model has negative impacts on rural school divisions with declining enrollments.

Wild Rose School Division points out the size of their school buildings have remained the same while operation and maintenance funding from the government has decreased due to declining enrollments. This means that expense to operate and maintain the buildings have increased over the years due to inflation in taxes.

Although they have fewer students to transport than in previous years, WRSD officials note students still remain scattered around rural areas and that ride times are extremely long, yet transportation funding was decreased because of declining enrollments.

The division also stated that they are desperately trying to provide inclusive education to its students, but that they have inadequate funding to do so. 

Staffing and programming are another major concern for the division. They state that the current funding model has forced them to cut many of the programs they once offered because of a decrease in funding and an inability to afford teachers to teach the programs.

Officials have requested that the government either complete a funding review in partnership with school boards and recognize the challenges that come with providing education in rural Alberta, or that the government provide them with integrated services from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Children’s Services, Ministry of Community and Social Services and Alberta Health Services.

— 

The WRSD Board of Trustee2020-2023 Three Year Capital Plan

The plan has four priorities:

Priority 1 – Corridor Schools: Modernize Condor, New Leslieville High School, and close David Thompson High School

Priority 2 – HW Pickup School Slab on Grade Movement

Priority 3 – Right-size Breton Schools

Priority 4 – Frank Maddock High School: CTS Reconfiguration & Modernization

Superintendent Brad Volkman says priorities are chosen based on the physical needs at the school as well as the Boards mandate to improve utilization rates.

(Storrm Lennie, with file from Wild Rose School Division media release)